Welcome in everyone.
I had a great week but went down a rabbit hole of reading and viewing as I am exploring ways to help my great nephew develop reading skills. It is so good that researchers and places share their information on You Tube and blog sites. Special thanks to Pennsylvania and Florida this time for feeding my mind overtime, giving me ideas and material to work with! I can see I will be spending quite a bit of time doing this so my own reading will lag. But if there is one thing I am passionate about its reading for all!
I am also expecting this book to arrive from Amazon soon and that will have me down that hole!
In the meantime I am reading on my Kindle
What I read last week:
Two very good books. Second one was an audiobook finish.
What I am reading now:
Reading and enjoying.
Also my slow and steady Gentleman in Moscow. I know readers have said I’d start reading it fast because it gets so good…. and it does! But for me a 20 to 30 minute a day savouring it is perfect. It deserves it!
I am listening to Thank You for Listening. Looks like it could be a self help book but it is by narrator Julia Whelan and is fiction. And has a narrator as the main character!
Up next:
From the library. I may get to it!
When I am finding my way into a new author generally I want to borrow the first book I read by that author. As it turns out this is a debut novel. And… Thoroughly enjoyed this romance, loved the characters and especially the down to earth family and friends. Nora and Leo – what a pair. Bernadette and Arthur not far behind. It was cute and made me laugh out loud at times. I never saw what caused the trouble between Nora and Leo and kept wondering what on earth is going on. Well now I know! Very satisfying. Would definitely read another by this author.
Well all I can say is … delightful. It was fun meeting Poirot and Hastings and see how they related to each other. No one warned me of the humour in these books and that was what was delightful. And while I might say it was far fetched, it was also eerily possible given todays world. Hmm well done Agatha Christie. The Big Four are about to take over the world – a Russian, an American, and Englishman and a Chinese. Enter Detective Poirot with his clever little plans to thwart them. 4 stars
Well written and engaging. I didn’t expect to really like this book, but turned out it was not mere “rom com” but something deeper than and more than that. I loved Nora’s journey – the witty dialogue between herself and Charlie. Plus her relationship with her sister. Sure a little predictable, but good predictable. Just loved the wisdom of this book. 4.25 stars
Multiple family members and much drama. There was a lot happening and how various characters linked up or fell out made for much happening. It is a step back though kind of writing. I wanted to like it more than I did. At times I felt for the characters and at other times I thought “Really!” 3.5 stars.
An extremely well written, thought provoking book about a family. Three sisters – well that’s frequent in a book, but somehow this one stands out. They gather around as their mother faces a big change in her life. Laine is the one who returns home to help out. It is she who makes so much growth and development but in a way so do they all. 4.25 stars
This was a fascinating look at the world mostly around the Cuban crisis and the time of President Kennedy. These were in the background as a young Cuban woman whose family had to flee Cuba in the revolution becomes involved in espionage and one handsome American senator. The book is well written, the story was mostly believable and I liked the main characters. I’d certainly read this author again.
This one involves twin sisters, one on the beauty queen stage – the other a down to earth school librarian. When the beauty queen comes down with a bad allergy she twists the arm of her twin sister to take her place in the initial events of the competition. While the first sister is at first resistant she gets in the spirit and is a very refreshing entrant. This book was light and funny and I enjoyed the quick read. I’d be happy to read Teri Wilson again sometime.
In Tell Me Three Things Jessie must make a new beginning as a sixteen year old when her Dad uproots her to leave Chicago and live in California with a step mom and step brother. She has to settle into a new home, a new school and new friends. If she can make them. Add to that she grieves the loss of her mother who died about two years previously. I loved this book, the characters, the wisdom and insight and the struggle. I really look forward to reading more by Julie Buxbaum.
I’m Fine and Neither Are You explores grief, a working mother, two young children and a house husband who may not quite be pulling his weight. Penelope and Sanjay seem to be coasting towards boredom and dissatisfaction with their marriage. Could adding some honesty into the mix help or hinder? While there are serious issues explored in this book I read it quickly with enjoyment. I would certainly read this author again.
What a beautiful story, as a teacher I appreciate the portrayal of a talented and caring compassionate teacher in Maggie. My heart went out to Katya and Sasha who were victims of the Chernobyl disaster. Their son Yuri has a heart defect as a result of all the radiation. Such a moving, sad and yet hopeful story. I loved the relationship between Maggie, Yuri and Finn. So many good friendships in the book. The only thing that sort of amused me was I know the writing of the students would not have been so highly edited in their notebooks. I certainly would recommend this book.
The Book Date 